Sixths to john tempany



(N0 Mbdel.) ZSheets-Sheet 1.

J. W. NORTON. RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Jan. 14

- '2 Shee1 sSheet 2.

Patented Jan. 14, 1890..

(NO Model.)

J. W. NORTON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. NORTON, OF FORT ROBINSON, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF FOUR- SIXTHS TO JOHN TEMPANY, CLARENCE A. STEDMAN, AND MARTIN B.

' HUGHES, or SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 419,543,11ated January 14, 1890. Application filed May 16, 1889. Serial No. 311,022. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES WV. NORTON, of Fort Robinson, in the county of Dawes and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Switches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,'clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention is an improved safety-switch for side tracks of a railway. f

I have sought in this invention, first, to reduce the amount of time or service of the employs on railways required for the manipulation of switches; second, to avoid the dangers incident to movable rails in switches and to reduce the amount of jolt-ing to passing trains; third, to provide switches that cannot be left openand which leave the main line open in both directions, and thus greatly reduce the chances of accidents so frequently occurring from misplaced switches; fourth, to secure these and other suitable results by means of cheap and durable construction.

My invention consists of a pair of interposed fixed connections between the mainline rails and the siding-rails, combined with a shifting guide-piece.

It also consists of an automatically-acting return device for moving automatically the shifting-guide to restore the connection of the main line, and, further, of a locking device operating automatically with these elements.

The invention is designed mainly for sidings on railways an d not specially for switches at stations.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a plan view of my invention. Fig. represents a cross-section of the same. Fig. is a cross-section of the stand and automatic locking device.

In the drawings, A B represent the rails of the main track, and C D the rails of the side track. The arrangement of these and their construction are such as those ordinarily used and require no detailed description. The rails of the side track are shown in part only, these parts representing the inner ends of these rails nearest to the main track 0, terminating a few inches outside of the rail A,

OD LO and D a few inches inside of the rail B, all these being spiked down and terminating on the same line at one end, as represented in Fig. 1. The other parts A B of the main track are separated from these ends a suiticient distance to give the proper angle of deflection from the main track onto the siding.

Interposed between the ends of the rails of the main and side tracks, as described, are fixed connections E and F, which are similar, but

reversed in position. Each has a rail, (marked respectively, 6 and f,) one forming a continu ation of the main rail and the outer rail of the siding, and the other a continuation of the Extending illor tread, marked g h, respectively. (Shown more clearly in cross-section in Fig. 2.) On the flange g at the end toward the ends of the side rails is a point is, which forms a connection with the main rail A, and on the flange his a similar point Z, forming a connection with the inside side rail D. These two points are of the same height as the rails, and are parallel with each other, while 6 f slightly converge from the, right to the left. The

flanges g and h, on which these points are 1o cated, extend inwardly, so as to catch the flanges of the wheels when running on these points and as they pass off from the points and continue on the main flange of the connecting-piece. It will be observed that a sufficient lateral dimension is given for the play of the wheels as they pass.

The construction so far shown would carry a train coming on the main track or the siding from the right to the left onto the main rails A B; but to determine the direction of the car upon the siding coming from the left requires some special construction, and for this purpose I haveprovided a shifting-frame G, adapted to be moved by the attendant in one direction to turn the train upon the siding. I have also shown this as capable of automatic shifting back to its normal position after the train has passed to the siding. This frame, as shown in the draw ings, consists of two-guide-pieces l and-2, connected by cross-pieces, so as to form a rigid frame. They have a limited lateral movement across the track, sliding on the ties 4, 5, and 6, and guided at the ends by blocks 7 and 8. These pieces 1 and 2 on the upper side are about the height of the tread of the rails. On the outer side underneath they are rabbeted, as shown at 9 and 10, Fig. 2, so as to fit over and against the main connectingpieces e and f alternately, first on one side and then on the other. Their ends are rounded inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, and they project a little way between the points of k and I. Fig. 1 shows these pieces in position in line with the main track-that is to say, the guide2 is approximately in line with the point- Z. Now, if a train be approaching on the main track from the direction of A and B the guide-piece 2 will insure its passage 011 the rail of the main track B and the point k. At the same time the guide-piece 1 is removed out of the way of the flange of the wheel running on the rail A A. In like manner a train may pass from off the main track in the opposite direction, as will be obvious from inspection of Fig. 1. Also, a train coming from the siding O D would run freely onto the main track A B while the guidepieces 1 and 2 were in this position, there being space enough between the point of Z and the adjacent end of the guide-piece 2 to allow the flange of the wheel to pass, and the wheel could run upon the flange it until it takes the main rail B. If, now, the guide frame be shifted over toward the guidingpiece E, which is the position shown in Fig. 2, the guiding-piece 1 will crowd the flange of the wheels over on to the rail-connection e, directing it to the siding-rail C, and the piece 2 will be out of the way of the flanges of the right-hand wheels, so that they can move upon the point Z and pass to the inner side rail D. From the description heretofore given it will be apparent that it is necessary to hold the guide-frame G in the position last described only during the passage of the train to the siding, and iii order to secure certainty of returning and safety I make the return of the guide-frame over to the main track or in the direction of the connecting-piece F automatic, and further provide locking mechanism, looking it in position away from the siding. The frameis connected to a lever L, the lower end of which is pivoted in suitable standard and boxing support on the extended end of the cross-bar 5, or in any other suitable way. The yokes 3, which are connected to the frame rigidly, are attached to thelever above the pivot by alink M. The lever is curved inwardly and has a fixed weight N, which acts to force the frame toward the main track. The frame can be held to the siding only by positive application of force, and in order to enable the operator to hold the guide-frame while the train is passing to the siding, I make a lever-pawl O,pivoted on the main lever L and adapted to engage with a notch in the standard-casing P. The end of this lever, which thus acts as a pawl, is connected by a cord or chain to a weight 19, the cord running over a pulley on the inner end of the lever L, so that the pawl end of the lever is held normally out of connection with its notch. The weight being sufiicient for the purpose, as soon as the operator releases the lever the guide-frame 'returns to the main track. In order that it may be automatically locked, I have provided a hinged latch 13, pivoted to the lever within the casing of the standard and sliding in guides across a vertical slot 14. \Vhen the guide-frame F is moved over to the main track, a bolt-hole 15 in the end of this latch is in line with a bolt 16, which slides vertically to engage with or release the latch, and falls by its own weight, and has guide-arms 16, and the bolt end is beveled, as is also the end of the latch, so that as the latch goes forward it lifts the bolt and is automatically engaged therewith, the bolt dropping as soon as the hole is in line with it. Manifestly, therefore, the attendant is not required to give any further attention to the switch after the train has passed, but may leave it to take care of itself. As the guide-frame cannot be locked in its position over toward the siding even if it should happen to remain in that position, which is very unlikely, the flanges of the wheels of the train passing on the main track would tend to force it back to its normal position. Thelock is manipulated by a key, which serves the purpose of raising a bolt, and when the bolt has been raised and the latch moved back the key may be removed, leaving the bolt for the automatic action heretofore described; but I do not limit myself to the particular kind of lock, as forms of lockfor such purposes are many and well known.

The lock is inclosed in the casing of the standard, which, preferably, for this purpose is made in two parts. The pivot of the lever (marked q) is concealed and held sccurelyin that casing in blind pivot-holes.

As to the construction of the connectingpieees E and F, whether cast in one piece or built up, I leave this to the skill and choice of the workman. All the parts are fixed excepting the shifting-frame G; but in whatever position this may be the cars must remain on the track, being held and supported either with their wheel-treads on the rails or points or with the wheel-flanges on the flanges g h of the connecting-pieces.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with the rails of the main and side tracks, with the points, the interposed rails e and f, and with the flanges g and h, the shifting-frame having guide-pieces fitted to overlap the flanges g and h, and mechanism for shifting the frame, the parts being constructed and arrai'iged to operate substantially as described.

2. In combination with the main and side rails, the interposed fixed connections E and F, and a shifting-guide fitted to actin connection with the points It and Z of the fixed connections, a weighted lever and connections between the guide and the lever, whereby the guide is returned to the main track, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the main and side rails, the interposed fixed connections E and F, and a shifting-guide to act in connectionwith thepoints I; and l of the fixed connections, a weighted lever and connections between the guide and the lever, whereby the guide is returned tot-he main track, and a locking device whereby it'is held, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the shifting-guide of a siding, the standard, the weighted lever pivoted in the standard, and connected link,

and the lever-pawl with its weight, s'ubstan- 2o tially as described.

5. The CO1I1blIlEthlOll,Wlth the shifting-guide of a siding, of the standard, a weighted lever pivoted in'the standard, a link connecting the shifting-guide to the lever, a'latch connected to the lever, and-a bolt arranged to connect automatically with the latch when the lever is forced down by its weight and to be released by a key, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JAMES W. NORTON.

WVitnesses:

JAMES W. SPEAR, WALTER P. .KEENE. 

